The BMW Z8 was the production variant of the Z07 concept car. Exterior designed by Henrik Fisker, with the interior designed by Scott Lempert. In total 5,703 Z8s were produced with just about half being exported to the US. Each Z8 was shipped with a colour matched hard top, designed to accentuate the design of the car.
Built on an all aluminium chassis and body, it was powered by a 4.9 litre 32 valve V8 that developed 400hp (shared with the BMW M5). A 0-62 time of 4.7 seconds was claimed, and like most BMWs it’s tops speed limited to 155mph. The engine was mounted behind the front axle to achieve 50/50 weight distribution.
Neon light tubes were used for the tail lights and turn indicators, due to the quicker activation time over standard bulbs. Added to that a potential for the neon to last the lifetime of the vehicle. The interior was decluttered by grouping options together into multifunction controls (such as the power windows and mirrors being controlled by a single instrument). The main instrument cluster was placed in the centre of the dashboard allowing a uncluttered view of the road ahead.
With the construction of the BMW Z8 being completed in 2002, the Z8 production was replaced with the Alpina V8 Roadster. The Alpina version was to move the Z8 away from being an out and out sportscar in to more of a grand tourer. The 6 speed manual was replaced with a 5 speed steptronic automatic gearbox, and the 4.8 litre Alpina tuned engine.
Built on an all aluminium chassis and body, it was powered by a 4.9 litre 32 valve V8 that developed 400hp (shared with the BMW M5). A 0-62 time of 4.7 seconds was claimed, and like most BMWs it’s tops speed limited to 155mph. The engine was mounted behind the front axle to achieve 50/50 weight distribution.
Neon light tubes were used for the tail lights and turn indicators, due to the quicker activation time over standard bulbs. Added to that a potential for the neon to last the lifetime of the vehicle. The interior was decluttered by grouping options together into multifunction controls (such as the power windows and mirrors being controlled by a single instrument). The main instrument cluster was placed in the centre of the dashboard allowing a uncluttered view of the road ahead.
With the construction of the BMW Z8 being completed in 2002, the Z8 production was replaced with the Alpina V8 Roadster. The Alpina version was to move the Z8 away from being an out and out sportscar in to more of a grand tourer. The 6 speed manual was replaced with a 5 speed steptronic automatic gearbox, and the 4.8 litre Alpina tuned engine.
